Coffee Roastery with a Surf Theme Opens in Lewes

Try the Mor-Feen blend at Swell Joe and you’ll feel stoked.

by Mark Nardone

We’ll let the owner of the new Swell Joe Coffee Company, from our friends at Surf Bagel in Lewes, tell it basically their way: “There are some things that connect us all, and those who live on the coast perhaps share a deeper understanding of this. So it was no surprise that Dave Vitella and Drew Johnson found something they could join forces on that would serve their community and their own senses of adventure. Dave started Surf Bagel in 2003, and with his brother, Tommy, and their wives, Sharon and Liz, they have built a local favorite. The next step just felt natural—if you’re serving the freshest bagels in town, roast and brew the freshest, best-tasting coffee possible. Starting with the purchase of a Deidrich-brand coffee roaster, Dave and Drew began their quest to bring fresh, home grown (at least home-roasted) coffee to town. This was followed by a necessary phase of experimentation—equal parts art and science. We take the finest beans from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, Kenya and Sumatra and roast them in small quantities to assure consistency and excellence.” We like names like Cut Back, Stoked and Mor-Feen (“more caffeine—get it?) And in keeping with the surf theme, you can buy Swell Joe roasts not only at Surf Bagel and other fine places, but also at Liquid Board Shop. Shaka, brah. swelljoecoffee.com